Well swab



Jan. 5, 1932, v. M. LIGON 1,839,566

WELL SWAB Filed April 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l l l5 l5 5 VANNMARS L|c o- 3 Jan. 5, 1932. I v. M. LIGON 1,839,566

WELL SWAB Filed April 29; 192 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E le wanton VANNMA R5 LI CyO N IE- 9% WWW auiozuu into production.

Patented Jan.' 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PAT NT E VANNMARS L'rsoN, or WICHIVTA FALLS, TEXAS, assienon, 'BY DIRECTVAND MESNE AssIGNMENrsor TWO-THIRDS '10 BERT rinsran Lreon, or .WICHITAFALLS, TEXAS,

AND ONE-THIRD TO G. W. ROLLER, OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS WELL swAB Application filed April 29,

My invention relates to swabs for use in raising liquid from deep wells, such as oil, water, and gas wells. l

This type of swab is adapted particularly for use in cleaning out a well after it has been drilled and preparatory for bringing the well i The use of the device is not restricted to this purpose, however, and maybe used generally wherever it is desired, to swab a well.

In the ordinary swab now used for the purposes indicated difiiculty is experienced in introducing the swab rapidly intothe well. It is most common to suspend the swab at the lower endof a cable or line and. drop the same by its own weight to the proper level beneath the liquid in the well and then draw it upwardly to the surface with the. load of liquid above it. Valve controlled passages may be provided to allow the liquid in the well to pass upwardly thru the. swab as it sinks beneath the surface of the liquid. The

outer edge of the swab rubber usually rules against the wall of the casing and notonly impedes the speed with whichthe swab-may drop but" also wears the rubber materially so thatit has to be frequently replaced.

It is an object of my invention to provide"- a swab having a rubber or packing member which is adapted to collapse materially during its'downward stroke to allow'the liquid to pass around the outside of the Swab, thereby increasing the speed of'travel and preventing wear upon thepacking member.-

I also deslre toprovldea packing member which is strong in constructionbut easily installed upon the swab and which is convenient to change when replacement is desired.

In thedrawings herewith, Fig. l'is a side view partly in centralvertical section illustrating the construction of myswab.

Fig. 2 is a central ver'tical-sectionthru the lower end of the mandrel of the swab show-- ing the valve which may be employed.

Fig. 3 is a side view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating a connection which may be employed betweenmy swab and the operating device.

Fig. 4 is broken view in central ver tical section showing the swab in expanded i929. Serial No. 358,822.

position, such as is assumed on the upward stroke. 7

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectionthru the cup taken on the line'5,5 of Fig. 1. r

Fig. 6 is a similar section taken on the plane 6-6 of Fig. 1. I

My swab may, of course, be employed either withrotary-or the standard system of drilling and mavbesuspended upon a pipe or rod or may be connected with the lower end of an operating cable. In Fig. 1,I have shown'the device as adapted for connection with a cable or-wire line by means ofwhich it may be raised or lowered in the well. For this purpose there is a nipple 1 having a shank 2 at the upper end which may be provided with circumferential grooves or serrations 3, with which a fishing tool or spear may be engaged A in: case of emergency. A central passage 4 thru thenipple provides a passage for the cable 5, which has a swivel connection-with the nipple'by-means of a block 6 at its lower end within which the cable is expanded and soldered.

The said head 6 fits within a recess 7 in the nlpple and may rotate relative thereto. The

the lower end of which hasbeen bored centrally to provide'a chamber indicated j'atll in Figs. 2 and 4. The mandrel is threaded at its lower end into engagement with a'valve i chamber 12 having a valve seat 13 secured to the lower'end thereof bymeans of cap screws;

14. Thesaid valve seat is tapered inwa'rdly and downwardly and receives a valve 15 shaped-to engage thereinand having a packing member 16 thereon. A downwardlyextending stem 17 on the .valve has the usual dart 19 at its'lower end-toengage withthe bottom of the wellto unseat the valve when desired. v l

The mandrel 9 has openings from the cenchamberv 11 at the lower end, said openwhich may be made with the upper end of ings 20 being formed to open into the interior of the swab cup 21. Said swab cup is preferably of rubber or other similar flexible composition constructed to resist wear in the operation ofthe swab.- It is of approximately ring 25 of metal which may be welded to the outer wall of the mandrel, said ring extending laterally from the mandrel and in supporting engagement with the swab cup. The upper side of the'said ring is provided with a -V-Sl11138d groove 26 into which the wedgeshaped lower end of the swab may engage;

The inner side of the said V-shaped groove 26 is inclined upwardly to provide a tapered seat 27 upon which the inner side of the cup may engage. q V

It is to be noted that the swab rubber or cup 21 is slightly shorter in length than is the distance between the ring 23 and the seat 26, thus allowing a suflicient amount of play of the cup in its seat so that it may move upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 1, thus allowing the side walls of the cup to collapse inwardly away from the casing. It will. be

seen that when in this collapsed position the lower supporting ring 25, by means of the tapered face 27 allows the resilient cup to contract as it moves upward. This contraction brings the outer wall 22 of the cup inside the outer circumference of the: ring 25 andthus serves to space the cup slightly from the wall of the casing while it is going into :the well and thus prevent injury to the cup. Theupper plate or ring 23 has a plurality of openings 28 therein whereby liquid from above the cup may find access to the interior thereof. i i

I have shown the mandrel as provided with a diametrical opening 30, thru which a pin or bar may be extended to .hold the mandrel while'it is being screwed into connection with the nipple 1 of the valve chamber 12, this transverse passage being above the upper end :of the chamber 11, as will be noted from Fig. 4.

In Fig. 3 I have indicated a connection the mandrel, and a nipple. 33 which may be engaged with a drill stem or with some rigid operating means whereby the swab may be operated in the well.

, In the use of my device the swab may be secured upon an operating cable, as shown in Fig. 1, and dropped downwardly into the liquid in the well. It is'to be understood that the swab drops very rapidly in itsdesc'ent to the desired position at the lower end of the well or beneath the level of the liquid which is to be raised to the surface. In its downward descent the cup collapses into the position shown in Fig. 1. It is moved upwardly into contact with the supportingplate 23 and the lowerend is moved inwardly out of contact with the casing. This allows the liquid to pass upwardlybetween the swab and the easing and, of course, further liquid may pass up wardly past the valve 15 and out thru the openings20and28. l/Vhentheproperlevelhas been reached the swab will be raised upwardly and the load of liquid will be trapped above the same thru the closing of the valve 15, and the expanding of the cup 21. The load of liquid above the cup will exert apressurethru the openings 28 to the interior of the cup, forcing it downwardly into its seat upon the ring 25 and expanding the walls against the casing, as shown in Fig; L. The load of liquid above the swab may then be raised to the surface. I

It will be noted that as the cup is moved downwardly'upon the conical surface 27 it is also expanded toward the casing, thus assisting the outward pressure of the liquid in The advantage of this device lies largely in the construction and mounting of the swab cup; The slidable manner in whica the cup is mounted upon its support allows it to collapse in a most effective manner to greatly increase the speed of operation, due to the freer passage of liquid about the cup, and also greatly prolonging the life of the cup, due to the freedom of contact between the cup and the casing-during its descent into the well. It isparticularly desirable to prevent contact between the cup and the casing during its downward movement, due to the fact that it is moving at such a high rate of speed d ring its descent that if it were allowed to rub against the casing it would heat up. thru friction and the rubber or other composition of which it is made would rapidly deteriorate and thecup would soon be destroyed. It has been found to be a great advantage and is considered .a valuable feature of my invention that the cup is prevented from contacting with the casing in its descent.

I claimz & V 1. A swab including a mandrel, a support- 'ingring thereon,' a flexible cup on said ring,

a retaining plate on said mandrel to support the upperend of said cup, said cup having a longitudinal movement between said plate and saidring. i 2I'A swab including a mandrel, a cup of flexible material on said mandrel, a seat for the lower end of said' cup, and means to restrain the outward movement of the upper end of said cup, said cu-p being slidable be.

tween said seat and said restraining means.

3. A swab including a mandrel, a cup of flexible material on said mandrel, a seat for the lower end of said cup, and means to restrain the outward movement of the upper end of said cup, said cup being slidable between said seat and said restraining means, said seat being beveled downwardly and outwardly to expand said cup when it moves downwardly thereon.

4. A swab including a mandrel, a cup of flexible material thereon, said cup having a longitudinal movement on said mandrel and means to move the walls of said cup radially during the downward movement thereof.

5. A swab including a mandrel, a cup of flexible material thereon, said cup having a longitudinal movement on said mandrel, and means to limit said movement downwardly, said means acting to expand said cup.

6. A swab including a mandrel, a supporting ring thereon, a cup of flexible material slidable on said mandrel and adapted to seat on said ring.

7. A swabincluding a mandrel, a supporting ring thereon, a cup of flexible material slidable on said mandrel and adapted to seat on said ring, said ring having a V-shaped groove therein to receive the low-er end of said cup, thus acting to expand said cup as it moves into its seat.

8. A swab including a mandrel, a supporting ring thereon, a cup of flexible material slidable on said mandrel and adapted to seat on said ring, said ring having a V-shaped groove therein to receive the lower end of said cup, thus acting to expand said cup as it moves its seat, and means to limit the upward movement of said cup.

9. A swab including a mandrel, a supporting ring having a V-shaped groove therein, the inner wall of which is tapered upwardly, a cup of flexible material adapted to fit said seat, said cup having a limited longitudinal movement on said mandrel and adapted to be expanded by said tapered wall, and means to limit the outward movement of the upper end of said cup.

10. A swab including a mandrel, a sup porting ring having a V-shaped groove therein, the inner wall of which is tapered upwardly, a cup of flexible material adapted to fit said seat, said cup having a limited longitudinal movement on said mandrel and 12. In a swab, a cylindrical mandrel, a pair of ring members thereon, a resilient sleeve slidably retained between said members, and means on one of said members to expand said sleeve upon its downward movement, relative to said members.

'18. A swab having a mandrel, a cup slidably mounted on said mandrel, ring members to support the upper and lower ends of said cup, a tapered surface on one of said rings whereby said cup may contract to a 

